Here Comes Goodbye
by Winter's Lightning
Summary: There is nothing like a final goodbye. Axel the Trickster makes a last desperate attempt to save the light of his world. Rascal Flatts: Here Comes Goodbye, here comes the last time..."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:****I do not own Kingdom Hearts**

**Pairings:**** Axel/Roxas**

**Note:** Taking a short break from Uni For Roxy. Inspired by the following song. I heard it and just had to write something short, sorrowful, and hopefully beautiful. Please let me know if you see any errors as I am writing this at stupid-O'clock.

_**Rascal Flatts: Here Comes Goodbye:**_

"_Here comes goodbye__  
><em>_Here comes the last time__  
><em>_Here comes the start of every sleepless night__  
><em>_The first of every tear I'm gonna cry___

_Here comes the pain__  
><em>_Here comes me wishing things had never changed__  
><em>_And she was right here in my arms tonight__  
><em>_But here comes goodbye._"

**x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x**

The locket was warm against my shaking hands as I rushed to prise it open. The moonlight cast everything in a silver glow.

"Shit." It dropped to the ground and disappeared beneath the glistening snow.

"Axel." His voice was soft, calm... Accepting.

No, I thought. No. There's still time. Desperately, I raked my hands through the freezing snow. Tears of relief welled as I found the thin silver chain. Blinking them away I barely dared to breathe, and tried again. With a delicate click, the locket opened. A rain of golden dust rose from it like stars and began spiralling into the darkened sky. In panic I snatched at the air, eyes wide. Hands clutched together tightly, I felt the dim buzz of Life Magic and hoped it would be enough.

Kneeling down I looked at him, lying in the snow. His face was pale, lips trembling with each breath. I bent towards his chest and called "Roxas."

Slowly, he pulled his hands away from the gaping hole in his chest. I tried not to see the dark red welling from it and flowing out to stain glittering white. Wetting my lips, I carefully placed my hands over the wound and blew softly over them. I felt the heat of the spell and my heart fluttered in hope.

The spell faded and I felt a new warmth. A horrible, seeping heat. My breath caught as red began to seep through my fingers.

"No." I whispered. But I knew.

My eyes found his. Endless blue pools, deep and beautiful. He smiled softly and murmured "It's ok." He knew too. "They took my heart, Axel. There's no way..." He trailed off, and I reached towards his hand, gripping it tightly.

"No!"

My voice was hoarse. "Don't say that. There has to be something." The thought of light fading from those eyes forever was more than I could bear, but the horrible truth was weighing down on me. I was too late. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks as numbness wrapped around my bones. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. It was all over. There was nothing else I could do. I knew this, even as I whispered "There's always something."

Time trickled on, and the red spread further. His precious life was draining away before my eyes. And I was powerless. All my tricks and plans had come to nothing. He was dying, leaving this world. The Travellers Trinket in my pocket began to ring. Death was coming to claim his prize.

He bit his lip, and I squeezed his hand. He must be in so much pain. A part of me knew I should stop his suffering. But I couldn't. I just _couldn't._

"He's coming for me Axel." His voice shook.

"I know."

Swallowing hard, I tried to understand that this was the end. That after this moment there would be no more Roxas. No more light in my world. With a broken heart I stared down at him. "How am I going to carry on without you Roxas?" I pushed a lock of golden hair out of his eyes and tried to tell him everything. "I just – " love you, need you. My words choked and I let out a wretched sob. He gazed up at me, tears trailing across his face. I brushed them away and bent forward, resting my forehead against his.

"Don't be scared, Roxas." I breathed.

A part of me wished it was daytime. Roxas had always loved the sun. Roxas had loved so many things, even me. For some reason I never quite understood he loved me, the run down, cynical Trickster.

I felt a stab of pain as I realised he wouldn't be here if we had never met.

The bells in my pocket rang louder. There wasn't much time.

Roxas' breathing was becoming slow, but his eyes were still as bright as ever. Straining to keep his smile to the end, he said "I'll miss you Axel."

Words failed me as the black smoke of Death curled around us.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:****I do not own Kingdom Hearts**

**Pairings: ****Axel/Roxas**

**Note: **After taking a big break from fanfiction, I'm finally back. I hope my writing hasn't suffered too much for it. I would love to know what any of you think of this story's progress, as I had several routes I wanted to go, and settled on this. 

The smoke billowed around us, a living vapour that coiled and pooled over the pure white snow.

Death was coming. As slow and unhurried as Father Time himself.

The air grew colder and I watched the ghost of my breath fan out into the air, only to hang there, suspended in time. This had always been the worst part. The creeping ice that chilled the souls of the dying, choking the last sparks of life from their bones. My fingers itched to reach for the gypsies' fire flask. A reflex born from years of hiding, cloaking my presence from death with tongues of warm flame. The small red vial had served me well, but what use was it now? It couldn't save the only person that mattered.

Roxas coughed. It was a wet, clogged sound that made my stomach twist.

The bells were louder now. They screamed their warning in my ears, my mind. I knew I should go, even as I stared, disbelieving at the frost creeping over Roxas' golden hair.

A single faded petal tumbled towards us, swirling through the cold wind in tight spirals until it landed with ethereal finality on Roxas' chest, in the gaping hole where his heart used to be. Marking him. Claiming him. My mind felt slow, thoughts trudging through a thick swamp of dread, as I searched for something, _anything _that might save him. Recollection flickered as I watched dark red consume the soft pink petal.

Cracks of ice appeared on the blood surrounding Roxas. I held his cold hands tighter.

As a rain of petals began to fall around us, I realised which agent of Death was coming for him. And with aching slowness, a new thought began to form. It floated softly through my mind like a spider's thread, delicate and translucent. Hanging in the fleeting memories of times long past.

Through the panic, the numbing, creeping sorrow, a new resolve budded like the first light of dawn. Roxas _could not die._

A calm settled through me and I smiled. Just as The Travellers used to say, "There's always something."

Roxas must have seen the change in my face. His eyes widened and he gritted his blood soaked teeth, shaking his head.

"_N – no!" _he spluttered, but it was too late. My mind was set. The bells stilled, as did the tremor running through my hands. I closed my eyes, and memories flickered behind my lids. How the years and miles had ceased to matter. I could never run far enough, fast enough. But I had survived, with tricks and trinkets my only defence against the reaching fingers of Death's embrace. Fear had driven me to become more animal than man. Until Roxas came, and his soft smile gave me a reason to feel again.

Leaning close to him I brushed a thumb across his cheek. He drew in a ragged breath as I whispered "_Thank you."_.

A tear trickled from the corner of his eye as he sighed, looking almost content. The smile that had saved me lingered on his lips as his chest became still.

I felt a dark presence behind me and said, "_Marluxia."_

The past had caught up with me at last.

I closed Roxas' eyes gently, and steeled myself. Heart beating hard against my ribs I slowly stood and turned. The tall figure before me was silent. One hand clutched an ornate scythe, and he waited for me to approach with the patience of a man who has all the time in the world. If he was surprised by my presence he did not show it. His long black coat pooled over the ground, and his face was invisible, lost to the shadows cast by his hood.

I pulled my own dark coat around myself, tattered and warn as it was, and added, "It's been a while."


End file.
